Our Place
by xSummersx
Summary: Lengthened One-Shot. ARIEL/ERIC. Prince Eric finds himself at the spot where she saved him countless nights. His heart longs to see her again. Princess Ariel watches him across the way, her heart longing to grant his wish. Their wish, their place.


**Another musing on my favorite Disney couple meeting. Getting back into writing these due to severe high demand. My goodness I love you guys. You really love my TLM stuff, I'm so grateful, so honored!**

The lukewarm Summer-night waters of the Mediterranean Sea would play host to the Italian Prince once again this night. The sun, long gone, left behind another soothing temperature for him to delve himself in, leaving all the things that distracted him behind; except for the one thing that had taken the driver seat in his mind.

It had been one week since the incident. Like dog years to man's best friend, the week seemed to be years on end to the 18-year-old. His advisor had questioned his sanity the moment after the Prince's declaration, and only continued to worry for him as he turned it into the only thing driving him from the moment his feet touched the floor in the morning to his head laying against the pillow at nightfall. Though, there had been a few sleepless nights thrown in as well.

Eric was haunted by the voice that stayed in his head, accompanied with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The combination did seem too beatific to be real, yet he couldn't deny the rush through his soul when he opened his eyes to her, listened to her song, or placed his hand over her own as it gently cupped his face.

In real time, he rose his hand back up to his cheek and let it linger there, as her touch sometimes did. Now knee-deep, he let out a long sigh, tilting his head back and gazing upon the starlit sky.

"I've searched everywhere…right?"

It was a question he had asked himself all day, for the last couple of days. His entire kingdom had been scoured and he literally left no stone unturned on the shorelines. Especially where he was again that night. The place it happened. Where could she have off to from there? It didn't make any sense, regardless of how many times he re-ran the scenario in his head. While he wasn't sure why his rescuer didn't stay for sure, he recalled the startled look she had when Grimsby and Max had showed up.

Sighing again, his hands met his face in mental defeat. Unbeknownst to him, the last couple nights hadn't been his to dwell alone.

It had taken the youngest princess a few days after the encounter to summon the courage to swim back to the surface and see her beloved Prince once more. By chance she had found him not long ago, in the spot she brought him to after the storm, late, and in anguish. She would watch him from afar as he talked to himself and gazed endlessly out across the ocean. Her heart wrenched when she saw him looking so lost, and then her heart would flutter when she discovered he was searching for her. She was his mysterious savior.

Ariel found herself torn between revealing herself to Eric in hopes that somehow, someway, there could be a mutual love. Never had a man struck her so deeply within her heart. Her thoughts always kept part of him there in all her daily activities.

What had happened to her declaration not long ago, that she would see him again and be unabashedly unashamed to show who she was? She even coaxed Flounder into her plan that he would "splash around to get his attention." Her young friend had even agreed to the plan. Perhaps it was her father's fault for constantly beating into her humans were barbarians, doubled with the cause of death of her late mother.

"Where could she be?"

Eric's question drew her attention back to him across the way, as he walked deeper into the ocean. His ritual had been the same each time she watched. He would direct the questions that plagued his mind at nothing, perhaps hoping there would be an answer eventually.

_'I'm here, my name is Ariel' _she longed to answer him.

Then he would slowly wade out further, like he was now, and stop when he was almost completely submerged. She would break the tradition tonight, at least for her curiosity sake. She slowly went under, as to not make a sound, and swam carefully and dangerously close to the prince. She stalled her swim when she was very much within reach. What she was hoping to accomplish by being that close, she didn't know. All she knew was her heart raced, just like it did when she saw him for the first time, or sang to him on the shore.

But he also chose this night to break tradition.

Before the mermaid princess could blink an eye, he inhaled and submerged himself in the ocean. She gasped, they were now face to face.

In took maybe a second before Prince Eric registered and took in the sight. With the full moon above, the first few yards of surface were illuminated enough to see underwater. It was not just an endless depth to meet his eyes; it was a beautiful woman with extravagant fiery hair. It framed her gorgeous face and electric ocean eyes as it floated around her. She came to first, flipping around and swimming out of his eyesight, giving him a full view of her sparkling green tail. He choked, startled, and shot to the surface for air. Part of him was so taken aback by the beauty before him, part of him was stunned and in disbelief he saw a tail. Sputtering, he swam back until he could fall on his knees and clear his lungs and throat. Whirling around, he gauged the ocean for any signs of the myth he just saw.

"A mermaid?" he shouted. "What—**how**? Hello?" he called, honestly expecting an answer that time. "Holy cow…what…was that **real**?"

He was sprawled on the lapping shoreline, on his rear, with water passing over him up to his belt line. Maybe a minute passed as he stared long and hard for any movements or sounds.

"Hello?" he tested again. "Is someone there?"

Then a slight moment of irritation passed over him. No. He wasn't making this up. He saw her. That was a woman, plain as day before him. Not a second time would he allow others to tell him he was hallucinating. He hadn't swallowed **any** seawater this time.

"Are you still there?" he stood up and slowly started to wade out into the water again.

Hopeful, he dove beneath the waves and glanced about him, this time finding nothing. Surfacing, he stilled himself and listened for any signs of the mermaid.

"Mermaid…"

He pinched his arm and it hurt. No, this was real life. No dreams tonight. He **knew** what he saw. And thinking back to the image he just saw briefly, it hit him. The vision he could vividly remember and the sight before him now were so alike it had to be the same girl.

"You saved me," he called out. "Right? I won't hurt you, please come back, I want to thank you!"

Ariel couldn't stop her racing heart as it pounded into her ears. She was mentally slapping herself for being so careless! He saw her, he actually saw her! Still breathing hard, she tried to quiet herself down as she overheard the prince calling out to her.

"Way to go, Ariel," she said but above a whisper. "He saw you."

_'But he isn't disgusted…or leaving.'_

Truth be told, she knew he had put the term on what he saw. He said mermaid…and yes, he still wanted to meet her.

_'And you were going to let him see you anyway, right? That was the point of coming up here.'_

"Please come back!" the Prince's voice carried, laced with desperation. "I've been dying to meet you, to thank you! Please!"

She cupped her face in her hands as she wrestled with the idea of coming out to meet him or not.

_'It's now or never, Ariel! Make up your mind!'_

"I'm here!"

She immediately flew her hands to her mouth, stunned. Her heart had won; her body had betrayed her. The response came of it's own will. Always, the heart will overpower the mind.

**It won't be a story, it will be just a one-shot with multiple chapters…so a two-shot? Is there even a term for that? Hmmmmmm….. I've always liked the idea of different ways for them to meet, always with Ariel having a voice and being a mermaid. Hope you like it thus far. God Bless.**


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